


Chance Encounter

by Anonymalous



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Dogs are good, Dunno what else to tag, Mondo Loves Dogs, Pre-Friendship, Pre-Relationship, Rated for swearing, bonding over dogs, havent decided if i like how this came out or not yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29259699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymalous/pseuds/Anonymalous
Summary: Taka reconsiders his views on his delinquent classmate after witnessing something on the way home from school.
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> uhhh...here i am again. and here's this idea that just came to me during work. as a fic. i hope its okay, i'm kinda indecisive about it.
> 
> apologies in advance (again) for any ooc-ness or mistakes, i have one brain cell and its tired

School had ended for the day a couple hours ago, but only just now as the sun was sinking toward the horizon did the prefect find himself en route toward home. He usually opted to staying in the academy dorms, but it was the weekend and Taka realized he hadn't seen his father in some time over the course of the year, the two being too busy with their respective schedules to catch each other. 

Taka would have beelined it home if not for the promise he'd made to another student, Asahina, to help her study for an upcoming exam for a unit she was having particular trouble with. It was the reason for his late departure from Hope's Peak, but she'd caught on fairly fast and there was still plenty of daylight left in the day to make the trek home.

Perhaps enough time to pick something up on the way, the moral compass thought. He knew how tired his father was when he came home, certainly, so he ought to take it upon himself to provide dinner tonight. He glanced at his wristwatch, deciding the detour wouldn't take too much time, and sent a brief text to his father about his plans. He briskly headed along the sidewalk toward town. 

Taka made it to the store at precisely 5:20 and was out by 5:30. He'd picked up something simple and on the small side, as he never usually had much money on hand. The prefect gave the receipt a once-over to make sure nothing was double-charged or missed, stowed the items into his bag, and went on his way when he decided he was satisfied.

Walking along, he noticed a shadow shift in the alleyway between two buildings across the street, and his eyes snapped toward it. It was still broad daylight outside, but he'd been warned of the threat of muggers lying in wait for an easy target to wander by. Taka knew he was not an easy target, but still preferred not to deal with any trouble. He kept walking, keeping his eyes on the alleyway until he spotted a familiar shape near it. That motorcycle he'd see in the school parking lot, belonging to none other than the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, the --on most days--bane of the Ultimate Moral Compass's existence.

Said gang leader, Taka realized, was the one in the alley right now. It was hard to see in the deepening shadows, but it looked like Owada was kneeling on the ground, back to the alley entrance. The prefect raised a brow curiously, before he felt a prickle of alarm. Was he injured? Taka could assume that he’d be a target for rival gangs for sure. Despite his personal grievances with his delinquent classmate, he would not stand by to let him just suffer in some dingy alleyway if he truly needed help. He took a step forward, only to watch as Owada stood back up and turned, holding something small and wriggling in his hands.

It was a little brown and white dog, either a puppy or a small breed or possibly both, it was hard to tell from across the street. Taka’s eyebrows raised in interest as he watched the gang leader across the street hold the puppy up to be eye-level with him. Its small tail was wagging and it seemed to squirm toward him, trying to lick his face. And Owada actually appeared to  _ giggle  _ at this, before lowering the puppy into his arms, cradling it on its back like a baby. Taka had seen Mondo Owada plenty of times throughout the school days, with his face always set in an expression that ranged from indifferent to enraged, especially whenever the prefect showed up. He didn’t seem to actively harass any of the other students though, and his intimidating demeanor kept any from harassing him. Taka remembered, with a shudder, one of the first times he’d seen the other during their first few days at Hope’s Peak. He’d effortlessly punched Makoto Naegi and sent him flying across the room for trying to intervene in a fight between him and another student. The poor kid had been knocked out for several hours (He thinks he heard that the gang leader had apologized to Naegi for it later, but he hadn’t confirmed it). Taka had no doubts the other student had seen many fights in his short life, being what he was. He could only imagine how many scars he had under his outfit, how often he bruised and bloodied his hands breaking property and people alike throughout the years.

Those same hands were currently tickling a puppy’s soft underbelly across the street. Taka could see its little legs kicking excitedly at all the attention. The moral compass looked back to Mondo, and found himself taken aback at just how... _ gentle _ his expression had become, looking down at the happy little creature he held. Taka could feel a smile forming on his face at the sight.

Suddenly a high-pitched call sounded, and a little girl rounded the corner on the other side of the street. She had to have been no older than seven or eight, and she held a leash hooked to an empty collar in one hand. She looked around and spotted the biker down the walkway, and hurried over to him. Taka watched Mondo glance up at the newcomer as she approached. She said something excitedly, Taka couldn’t hear from where he was, and Mondo nodded. He lowered to the ground a couple feet away from the child and let the puppy jump out of his arms and into the little girl’s. It licked her excitedly, and she squeaked with laughter as she re-collared it. She looked up at Mondo, grinning and nodding as he stood back up. He replied to her gently, nodding back. Taka watched as they seemed to exchange words, both of them looking at the puppy the girl had reclaimed. 

This lasted only a few seconds before a new voice cried out, followed by a woman who quickly appeared around the same corner the girl had come from, staggering in fancy shoes not meant for running. She caught sight of the two down the walkway and seemed to bristle, barking out the child’s name and causing them both to jump. The little girl turned and smiled as her mother hurried toward her, and Taka saw Mondo shift back several steps. The child seemed to be excitedly telling her mother something as she approached, but the woman didn’t seem to react. She quickly snagged the girl’s arm and pulled her away at an urgent pace, shooting glances over her shoulder at Mondo as the two disappeared around the corner they’d come from. 

Taka’s brow furrowed as he watched them leave.  _ How rude of her. _

The prefect turned his attention back to the biker, who watched the two for a beat longer before sighing and leaning against the wall of the building behind him. Without really thinking, Taka began to approach him quietly. The other didn’t notice him as he withdrew a cigarette from a coat pocket and lit it, gaze drifting off into space. 

_ “Smoking is not allowed on school grounds! _ ”

“ _ Jesus fUCK-- _ ”

Taka closed his mouth. That...that had not been the greeting he’d meant to say. During school, he’d so often round a corner to find Mondo smoking somewhere by himself despite the fact it was strictly prohibited, that it must have become a knee-jerk reaction for him to call the biker out at the sight of a cigarette in his hands. Apparently, even if--

“We ain’t even on school grounds, jackass!” 

The prefect stood in front of Mondo, who had jumped away from him in surprise and now stared him down with steely lilac eyes. Thin wisps of smoke curled up from the now-wasted cigarette that had been dropped on the ground. Taka paused,

“Yes...that...we are not...!” he replied awkwardly, “But...smoking is still very detrimental to your health, and I strongly advise against it…!” 

Oh dear, he had no idea what he was meaning to accomplish right now.

“Fuck!” Mondo growled, “What, it ain’t enough to be followin’ me around during school, Ishimaru? Now ya gotta be on my case in my fuckin’ personal life too?”

“No!” Taka held up his hands defensively, “I swear our paths crossed by coincidence! I was picking something up on the way home, and you happened to be here, that’s all!” 

“Guess you better get going then.” the gang leader huffed, reluctantly crushing the dropped cigarette under the heel of his boot and leaning back against the building.

“I saw what happened.” 

Taka was fixed in that angry lilac gaze again, “What?”

Taka’s eyes flicked toward the alley, up the walkway, and back at Mondo, “Just now. I...I just wanted to say I think it was very sweet of you to reunite that little dog with its owner like that!” 

Mondo shrugged, “I was passin’ by and saw the little guy running and duck into the alley there. Was afraid he’d get hurt or somethin’. He apparently got excited and slipped out of his collar.” he paused, then narrowed his eyes and turned on Taka sharply, looming over him, “What, you gonna tell everyone? That the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader likes puppies? Likes bein’ soft with ‘em? You gonna tell everyone I’m some kinda little bitch?”

“N-No! I just--”

“Likin’ dogs n’ shit doesn’t make ya any less of a man, ya got that Ishimaru?”

“That’s not--”

“The kinda people that’re all shitty towards animals to look cool are the kinda people that deserve to get their fuckin’ faces caved in. So if you--”

“Owada-kun, I don’t intend to damage your reputation!” Taka exclaimed, raising his voice just to be audible over Mondo’s threats, “I just wanted to comment that I thought it was a nice gesture, and it was frankly quite rude of that woman to take her child and leave without so much as a thank-you! As you said, that little dog could have gotten itself hurt!” 

“Hmph.” Mondo drew back from Taka, leaning back against the wall, “I’m used to it.” He stuffed a hand into his pocket, searching for something. Likely another cigarette, “I’m the fuckin’ leader of the biggest biker gang in the country, remember? You don’t think people don’t know who I am?” 

“Ah.” Taka hummed quietly. He watched Mondo search his pocket for another second before withdrawing his hand and letting it drop to his side in a gesture of exasperation. That wasted cigarette must have been the last one he had on him, and Taka couldn’t help but feel some satisfaction at this.

They stood in silence for a few moments more.

“You...seem to be good with them.” Taka started slowly. Mondo raised his eyes to look at him again, and the student met his gaze, “Er...dogs, I mean. You seem to be good with them.”

“Used to have one.” Mondo replied, “He was a maltese. Smartest little guy ever, knew how to bring the newspaper in every morning. I’d take him for a walk as a reward.” Taka watched a wistful smile appear on his face,

“He certainly sounds like a very intelligent dog! He must be quite a good companion!” he remarked brightly. He paused as the look on the biker’s face darkened,   
  


“Yeah, he really was.”

Oh. 

Another awkward pause filled the air, but at least the hostile atmosphere between the two had dwindled.

“I…” Taka began again, slowly, “I er...never had a dog. I wanted one, but we never really had the money to take care of one…”

“Damn.” Mondo said, “You had to grow up without a dog? Shit man, that sucks. I think everyone should have a dog growin’ up.” 

“I sometimes got to interact with our old neighbor’s dog, before they moved away a few years ago.” 

“What kind??”

“Er...I don’t know.” Taka frowned, “It was a rather large dog. I really don’t know much about dog breeds.”

“Huh.” 

The two began to lapse into silence again. It suddenly struck Taka that this was probably the first civil conversation he’d ever had with the biker. Anytime they interacted at school, it was usually Taka reprimanding Mondo or sticking him with a detention slip for breaking rules as he often did, and then the latter antagonizing him afterward. He’d pretty much written the other student off as someone who had no respect for anyone or anything else in the world, someone who chooses violence over diplomacy, someone who would likely end up in prison for the rest of his life. Taka was a bit ashamed of himself for looking down on his fellow student so much, but some days he really did frustrate the prefect, not understanding that Taka merely wanted to see his peers succeed in life. And his way of helping them all toward that goal just happened to be doling out detentions whenever need be. They don’t appreciate it now, but he was sure they would later. 

He was starting to reconsider his views on the other student, just based off this chance interaction he was having. For the time, he could almost forget how often the two got at each other’s throats.

_ There is much I don’t know about you, it seems. _

Deciding to keep the pleasant chatter going, Taka went on, “Would you possibly try to adopt another dog sometime in the future?”

“Oh yeah, maybe. Prolly a rescue this time.” Mondo replied, “But uh, not ‘till after graduation. There’s a whole process ya gotta do when you bring a dog home for the first time, y’know? Plus I wanna have some steady income to provide for ‘em. Make sure it gets its shots and whatever.”

“I see!” Taka said with an interested smile, “You certainly know a lot on the subject! And you sound like you take the responsibility quite seriously! I’m very impressed, Owada-kun! If I ever decide to adopt, I know who to go to for advice!”

That got a small smile from Mondo, “Yeah, I know this one place I wanted to go to. A no-kill shelter. Some days I wanna go in and just look at ‘em all, y’know? But then I might end up tryna take ‘em all home with me.”

The two shared a short laugh over that. Taka was about to add something else when he noticed just how dark it was getting, and gasped in alarm, “Agh! I didn’t notice how much time has passed! I really should get home.” He bowed politely toward his schoolmate, “This was a very nice conversation we had today, Owada-kun! I feel like I’ve learned much more about you! But I’m afraid I need to go, so...see you next week!”

“How far d’ya gotta go to get home?” Mondo asked him as he turned away. The prefect paused,

“Um...it’ll likely take me about fifteen or so minutes to get there, barring any issues…”  _ It’ll be fully dark by then, unfortunately. _

The biker stepped toward him and jerked a thumb toward his parked motorcycle, “Ya wanna ride? You’ll get home before dark, anyways.”

Taka blinked in surprise at the offer, charmed that it was given to him, though wary at the thought of riding a motorcycle of all things. He gave the vehicle in question a reproachful look. He heard Mondo laugh at his expression,

“Relax, I ain’t gonna take ya on a joyride or whatever.” He started toward the bike, “I mean, it’s up to you. I ain’t gonna force ya or nothin’. S’just an offer.” He shrugged.

Taka frowned in consideration. Well, he would prefer not to be out walking the streets in the dark, and the ride wouldn’t be a long one at all from where they currently were, so he wouldn’t have to spend too long being absolutely terrified while they drove. And he wouldn’t have to keep his father waiting and possibly worrying over him…

He gave a small nod, “I think I will take you up on your offer, thank you!” 

“Nice.” The biker stepped onto his motorcycle, gesturing for Taka to climb on as well.

The prefect tried not to think too much about what was about to happen. Surely he could survive one short ride home on this thing? He was unsettled at the lack of helmets or other safety equipment that most other modes of transportation would have, and tried very hard not to think about the statistics of accidents and casualties involving motorists. 

“Okay…!” he said, a squeak of apprehension sneaking into his voice. He tried not to flinch as the engine roared to life,

“You should prolly hold on.” Mondo warned. He gave Taka a half-second to process that before the bike shot off down the street. Taka threw his arms around Mondo’s torso reflexively, stifling an undignified shriek as the world blurred past. He could feel the taller student’s muscular shoulders shake slightly in a laugh at his expense. 

The ride was over quickly, as Taka had hoped, and he nearly fell onto the concrete trying to dismount on shaky legs. He managed to keep his balance, and saw that indeed, he had arrived at his house with some sunlight still perching over the horizon. He could see his father’s old car parked in the driveway, and he smiled.

The prefect turned back toward Mondo, “Th-thank you! Um, how much would I owe you for gas money--?”

“Dude, it was like a five minute ride. Ya don’t need to pay me for it.” Mondo waved him off. Taka could insist, as it felt like the right thing to do, but he had a feeling it would take the remaining amount of sunlight to reach a consensus on that. 

“Well regardless...I very much appreciate the kind gesture Owada-kun! I can see now there is much more to you than what I’d thought!”

“Ah, y’know what? You ain’t so bad yourself, Ishimaru.” Mondo replied, and for some reason it filled Taka with a warm feeling. 

“Well...good night! Drive safely! Remember to do your homework!”

“We don’t have homework today, ya fuckin’ nerd.” Mondo huffed, but his eyes shined with amusement.

Taka coughed lightly, “R-right! Still…! Studying is always important.”

“Get inside already. Your old man’s waitin’ on ya, isn’t he?”

“Oh, right!” Taka headed up the walkway to his house, walking sideways to continue calling out to Mondo, “well, again, thank you! See you in class!”

In place of a verbal reply, Mondo gave him a small wave. The motorcycle roared again and in a second he was gone, leaving Taka with nothing but the sound of crickets. 

He smiled to himself, making his way to the front door. He found himself, for the first time, looking forward to seeing the biker gang leader again.


End file.
